Obama's Egypt Speech Must Challenge The Muslim World
HUMAN EVENTS: Several months ago, it was announced President Barack Obama, within the first 100 days of his term, would visit a Muslim country to deliver a major foreign policy speech breaking new ground in U.S. relations with the Muslim world. That schedule slipped a bit as it was just announced the speech will now be delivered next month in Egypt.

Whether such a bold move will set a course during his presidency for success or failure in dealing with the Muslim world turns on three factors: where the speech is given, to whom, and precisely what he says. While Obama controls the first and last factor, by deciding to deliver his speech in Egypt, he has already made a wrong decision concerning the first.

Let us consider the impact of all three factors. >>> By James Zumwalt | Thursday, May 14, 2009

At Nazareth Mass, Pope Urges Muslims and Christians to Reject Hatred
HAARETZ: Pope Benedict XVI greeted tens of thousands of adoring followers in Jesus' childhood hometown with a message of reconciliation Thursday, urging Christian and Muslims to reject the destructive power of hatred and prejudice.

"I urge people of goodwill in both communities to repair the damage that has been done, and in fidelity to our common belief in one God, the Father of the human family, to work to build bridges and find the way to a peaceful coexistence," he said.

"Let everyone reject the destructive power of hatred and prejudice, which kills men's souls before it kills their bodies."

Nazareth, one of the largest towns where Israeli Arab citizens live, Mount Precipice, where the Bible says a mob tried to hurl Jesus off a cliff, was chosen as the site for the papal mass. >>> By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and News Agencies | Thursday, May 14, 2009

Somali President Signs Sharia Bill into Law
THAIINDIAN NEWS: Mogadishu, (Xinhua) Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has signed a bill that will allow the implementation of Sharia or Islamic law in the country.


Since Somalia has now implemented the Sharia, there is no reason for the continuation of hostilities in the country, Ahmed said Wednesday after signing the bill into law.

The introduction of Sharia in the country has been a key demand of the Islamist groups. >>> | Thursday, May 14, 2009

Australian Charged over Anti-Semitic YouTube Video
HAARETZ: Police charged a man who allegedly posted a video on YouTube with inciting racism under a so-far untested Australian state law, officials said Thursday. A newspaper report said the video targeted Jews.

The 38-year-old man from the west coast city of Perth could become the first person convicted under Western Australia state's racial vilification laws enacted four years ago.

The laws were introduced in response to a series of violent attacks by white supremacists around Perth. The only person previously charged under the law was a 16-year-old Aboriginal girl, but a magistrate said the case involved petty name-calling and dismissed it.

State police spokeswoman Susan Usher said the suspect will appear in court next Tuesday charged with conduct likely to incite animosity or racist harassment. He cannot be identified under Australian law until his first court appearance.

If convicted, he faces a possible maximum penalty of 14 years in prison plus a fine of $18,000. >>> Associated Press | Thursday, May 14, 2009

HAARETZ: Anti-Semitism Is Rearing Its Head in Tel Aviv

Anti-Semitism is raising its head. Not in Warsaw, Munich or Paris, and there's no need for the Anti-Defamation League to wave the evidence around. It's right here, in our own home, in verdant Ramat Aviv, the most enlightened suburb of Tel Aviv, our most enlightened city. The entry of a handful of ultra-Orthodox Jews to this lovely, modest and tranquil neighborhood has provoked an unlovely wave of racism, tearing the thin veil of openness and liberality from this seemingly left-wing community. If anyone were to behave this way toward Israeli Arabs, the residents might raise a hue and cry, but when it comes to Haredim the gloves are off because attacking the "blacks" is the fashion. >>> By Gideon Levy | Thursday, May 14, 2009

The Saudi Bitch Slap
THE DAILY BEAST: A Saudi Arabian judge declared this weekend that husbands can slap their wives if they spend too much money. Asra Nomani tells us why she is "thrilled" by his outrageous remarks (and his getting busted for them) and why they are a helpful wakeup call for the Muslim world.

The blogs are lighting up with ridicule after a Saudi judge declared this past weekend that husbands can slap their wives on the face if they blow their husband’s money. One headline declared: “Saudi judge says it’s OK to bitch slap your wife.” Said a blogger: “Just more of those Muslim family values in action, folks!” Another headline laid out the news: “Saudi Sharia Judge: Slap the Bitch...” >>> By Asra Q. Nomani | Thursday, May 14, 2009

Obama Warns Netanyahu: Don't Surprise Me with Iran Strike
HAARETZ: U.S. President Barack Obama has sent a message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding that Israel not surprise the U.S. with an Israeli military operation against Iran. The message was conveyed by a senior American official who met in Israel with Netanyahu, ministers and other senior officials. Earlier, Netanyahu's envoy visited Washington and met with National Security Adviser James Jones and with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and discussed the dialogue Obama has initiated with Tehran.

The message from the American envoy to the prime minister reveals U.S. concern that Israel could lose patience and act against Iran. It is important to the Americans that they not be caught off guard and find themselves facing facts on the ground at the last minute.

Obama did not wait for his White House meeting with Netanyahu, scheduled for next Monday, to deliver his message, but rather sent it ahead of time with his envoy. >>> By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent | Thursday, May 14, 2009

Sorry

Russia Warns of War within a Decade over Arctic Oil and Gas Riches
Photo credit: TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: Russia raised the prospect of war in the Arctic yesterday as nations struggle for control of the world’s dwindling energy reserves.

The country’s new national security strategy identified the intensifying battle for ownership of vast untapped oil and gas fields around its borders as a source of potential military conflict within a decade.

“The presence and potential escalation of armed conflicts near Russia’s national borders, pending border agreements between Russia and several neighbouring nations, are the major threats to Russia’s interests and border security,” stated the document, which analysed security threats up to 2020.

“In a competition for resources it cannot be ruled out that military force could be used to resolve emerging problems that would destroy the balance of forces near the borders of Russia and her allies.”

The Kremlin has insisted that it is not “militarising the Arctic” but its warnings of armed conflict suggest that it is willing to defend its interests by force if necessary as global warming makes exploitation of the region’s energy riches more feasible.

The United States, Norway, Canada and Denmark are challenging Russia’s claim to a section of the Arctic shelf, the size of Western Europe, which is believed to contain billions of tonnes of oil and gas. >>> Tony Halpin in Moscow | Thursday, May 14, 2009

TIMESONLINE:
The very cold war >>>

NZZ Online: Neue Sicherheitsdoktrin Russlands: Die USA und die Nato als potenzielle Bedrohungen

Nach einem zähen Entstehungsprozess hat der russische Präsident Medwedew eine neue Sicherheitsdoktrin in Kraft gesetzt. Die nationale Sicherheit wird darin sehr weit gefasst. Besonders die USA und die Nato erscheinen als potenzielle Bedrohung.

Russland hat in diesen Tagen sicherheitspolitisch mit den neunziger Jahren abgeschlossen. Präsident Medwedew setzte am Dienstagabend mit seiner Unterschrift die Strategie über nationale Sicherheit bis 2020 in Kraft, nachdem deren Fertigstellung mehrmals ins Stocken geraten war.

Das Dokument, das auf der Internetseite des russischen Sicherheitsrates eingesehen werden kann, beginnt mit dem Satz, Russland habe die Folgen der systembedingten politischen und sozioökonomischen Krise des ausgehenden 20. Jahrhunderts überwunden. Die Wendung steht für das neue Selbstbewusstsein und die Abkehr von der in der heutigen politischen Elite mit Niedergang und aussenpolitischer Demütigung gleichgesetzten Ära Präsident Jelzins. Aus jener Zeit stammte die nun abgelöste bisherige Sicherheitskonzeption.

Das Grundlagenpapier, um das anscheinend hart gerungen worden war, versteht nationale Sicherheit in einem sehr umfassenden Sinn und leitet diese wesentlich von ökonomischen und sozialen Verhältnissen im Land ab. Die Ausrichtung auf das Jahr 2020 entspricht der vor einem Jahr vorgestellten «Strategie 2020», die einen Schwerpunkt auf wirtschaftliche, gesellschaftliche und infrastrukturelle Entwicklungen legt. >>> mac. Moskau | Mittwoch, 13. Mai 2009

Junta to Put Democracy Leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Trial
Aung San Suu Kyi. Photo credit: TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s democracy leader, is to stand trial on Monday at Rangoon’s notorious Insein prison in connection with a visit from a mysterious American last week, her party said last night.

A motorcade which included her car and several police vehicles left her lakeside home early this morning and drove to the prison.

“Her lawyer said the authorities will charge the lady and her two maids at the court in Insein prison,” said Nyan Win, spokesman for Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party.

It was not clear what charges she faced but exile groups said she was likely to be charged under a cover-all public security law which is often used against political dissidents and could face a prison term of up to seven years.

Ms Suu Kyi., 63, has already spent more than 13 of the last 19 years — including the past six — in detention without trial for her non-violent promotion of democracy, despite international pressure for her release.

A trial could be used to justify another extension of her detention, which officially ends on May 27. The military junta has repeatedly found reasons to extend her periods of house arrest. >>> Anne Barrowclough | Thursday, May 14, 2009

'Jesus in Jeans' Sculpture Unveiled
Wait for the demonstrations, the killings, the bombings of embassies, the hissy fits, and you’ll wait a long time. – ©Mark

THE TELEGRAPH: A church in East Sussex has unveiled a Marcus Cornish bronze statue dubbed "Jesus in jeans" depicting Christ as a man of the 21st century.

This bronze statue showing Jesus in his best baggy jeans has proved a hit outside Our Lady Immaculate and St Phillip Neri church in Uckfield. Photo credit: The Telegraph
Father David Buckley unveiled the £35,000 seven-foot high bronze statue at the Our Lady Immaculate and St Philip Neri Catholic church in Uckfield.

Cornish's sculpture was funded by money left by Winifred Gregory, 87, a member of the congregation who passed away last year.

Christ is wearing jeans and a shirt billowing in the wind while his hair and beard are neatly and fashionably trimmed.

Father Buckley said: "You are always looking for new ways to enrich people in the experience of Christianity and it is good people can be open-minded to appreciate it.

"On the continent you often encounter modern representations of Jesus but it is not so common over here. We wanted a figure of Christ not in suffering but dynamic and welcoming.

"We felt this design summed up the spirit and activity of Christ perfectly and I think it speaks for itself. >>> | Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Where Is Saudi Support For Taliban Victims?
FORBES: Conspicuously, neither Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz nor the rulers of any Arab or Muslim state are holding special national telethons to help raise funds for some 400,000 new Pakistani refugees. Many fled their homes after the Taliban took over the Swat valley, and others were forced to leave amid the fierce fighting between the Taliban and the Pakistani military. The Saudis say they are friends of the West and of all Muslim nations, but their real alliance is with Iran, Hamas and the Taliban--as you can tell just by following the money.

Indeed, to get hundreds of millions, and even billions, of dollars in emergency funds from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Gulf States, the Pakistani refugees should have declared themselves Palestinian.

Since January 2009, or in just over four months, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States have given between $1.646 billion and $1.950 billion to the Palestinians, according to figures published on the Web site of Saudi Arabia's embassy in the U.S.

Most of the money, as well as medical aid, food and building materials, went to Hamas-controlled Gaza. These donations were in addition to $1 billion donated on Jan. 19 by King Abdullah "to help rebuild the Gaza Strip."

On May 6, a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates sought Saudi help to fight off the Taliban in Pakistan, the Saudis announced a $25 million donation, not to Pakistan, but to rebuild the Palestinian Nahr Al-Bared refugee camp in Lebanon.

Meanwhile on May 7, at the Arab League's meeting of foreign ministers in Cairo, Egypt, aid to Pakistan was not on the agenda. Instead, as reported by the Saudi Gazette, the League issued a warning about the imminent danger posed to Jerusalem by the Jews. >>> Rachel Ehrenfeld | Tuesday, May 12, 2009

I Would Fight for Women's Freedom
THE GUARDIAN: If it came to it, like the suffragettes before me, I would fight – even die – for my freedom

The question: Are there beliefs to die for?
I am so lucky! I am a woman and I have not suffered the oppression and unfair discrimination that most women have endured throughout history, and many still do today, because I was brought up in Britain in the 20th century. I was educated at least as well as my brother, I went to one of the best universities in the world, I married the man I loved and got divorced when he and I wanted to, I brought up my children without religious indoctrination. I have been able to go where I want, pay my own way, and walk freely in the streets wearing whatever I like. I've had financial independence and an exciting and worthwhile career.

I have had all these things because other women long ago fought and even died for women's rights. Most of the suffragettes did not die, although many were repeatedly injured. Most did not have to harm, let alone kill anyone, but they certainly needed courage and many suffered abuse, discrimination, ostracism and rejection from family and friends. And some did die.

Would I be prepared to do the same? When I ask myself whether there is anything I would die for I wonder about this.

In Britain today religious oppression of women is creeping back. Children, who have no choice, are sent to faith schools where they are taught to believe ridiculous untruths, convinced that they will be sent into eternal agony after death if they disobey certain rules, and those rules can include the oppression of women by men. >>> Sue Blackmore | Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Une messe pour les chrétiens de Palestine
L’EXPRESS.fr: Benoît XVI a célébré la messe à côté de l'Eglise de la Nativité. Les attentes étaient grandes parmi les chrétiens palestiniens.

Benoît XVI se rend à l'Eglise de la Nativité après la messe à Bethléem. Crédits photo : L’Express
Elles trouvent cela tout naturel. Lorsque Maria et Regina expliquent qu'elles se sont levées à 4h du matin, et qu'elles ont fait deux heures de marche depuis Jérusalem pour assister à la messe de Bethléem, ces deux soeurs missionnaires racontent leur petit exploit en souriant, avec simplicité. Avaient-elles, au moins, emporté de quoi boire ou manger dans leur baluchon? "Une bouteille, c'est tout, dit Maria. La providence pourvoiera à nos besoins." A ses côtés, trois religieuses venues d'Argentine récitent le rosaire. >>> Par Claire Chartier | Mercredi 13 Mai 2009

L’EXPRESS.fr: A Bethléem, le pape prêche pour un Etat palestinien

Pour sa première visite en territoire palestinien, Benoît XVI a appelé de ses voeux la création d'un Etat indépendant et une pacification des relations avec Israël.

Le pape a appelé à la création d'un Etat palestinien lors de sa visite à Bethléem, en Cisjordanie, ville présumée de la naissance du Christ.

Au cinquième jour de son voyage en Terre Sainte, après la Jordanie et Israël, Benoît XVI a franchi ce mercredi matin le mur de sécurité construit par les Israéliens pour se rendre en territoire palestinien, où il a été accueilli par le leader de l'Autorité palestinienne, Mahmoud Abbas.

"Je sais combien vous avez souffert et combien vous continuez à souffrir en raison des bouleversements qu'a connus cette terre depuis des décennies", a déclaré le pape. "Mon coeur se tourne vers toutes ces familles qui ont tant perdu", a-t-il ajouté, en soulignant qu'il se rendrait dans un camp de réfugiés.

Le souverain pontife a eu des mots particuliers à l'adresse des habitants de Gaza, victimes de l'offensive israélienne de janvier dernier, mais il ne se rendra pas dans ce territoire au cours de son périple.

S'adressant à Mahmoud Abbas, il a été très clair: "M. le Président, le Saint-Siège soutient le droit de votre peuple à une patrie palestinienne souveraine sur la terre de vos ancêtres, sûre et en paix avec ses voisins, à l'intérieur de frontières internationalement reconnues".

Il a rappelé les paroles prononcées par son prédécesseur, Jean Paul II, lors de la visite de ce dernier en Terre sainte en 2000: "Il ne peut y avoir de paix sans justice, et de justice sans pardon". >>> Par LEXPRESS.fr avec Reuters | Mercredi 13 Mai 2009

LE FIGARO: Benoît XVI appelle à la destruction du mur israélien

Crédits photo : Le Figaro

>>> Constance Jamet | Mercredi 13 Mai 2009

Pope Gunman Wants to Convert to Christianity
ASSOCIATED PRESS: ANKARA, Turkey — The gunman who shot Pope John Paul II says he would like to convert to Christianity at a baptism ceremony at the Vatican after his release from prison in January.

In comments relayed by his lawyer on Wednesday, Mehmet Ali Agca also says he wants to visit the grave of Pope John Paul II, meet with Pope Benedict XVI and produce a television documentary on the Vatican. >>> Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press | Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Italian Parliament Criminalizes Illegal Immigration
USA TODAY: ROME — Italy's lower chamber of parliament has passed a hotly debated measure making it a crime to enter or stay in Italy illegally as Premier Silvio Berlusconi's conservative forces continue cracking down on illegal migration.

In a bid to ensure swift passage, Berlusconi's allies put the legislation to a confidence vote, which they easily won 316-258. Confidence votes force lawmakers to close ranks since defeat would force the government's resignation.

The legislation must now be approved by the senate. It would make it a crime to enter or stay in Italy illegally, punishable by a fine of $6,840-$13,670, although no prison penalty would be imposed. In addition, the legislation imposes a prison term of up to three years for anyone who rents an apartment to an illegal immigrant. [Source: USA Today] AP | Wednesday, May 13, 2009

NZZ Online: Italiens Parlament macht illegale Einwanderung strafbar: Geldstrafe bis 10'000 Euro – Abstimmung mit Vertrauensfrage verknüpft

Ein umstrittenes Gesetz des italienischen Ministerpräsidenten zur Strafverfolgung illegaler Einwanderer hat die erste parlamentarische Hürde genommen.

Italiens Regierungschef Silvio Berlusconi macht ernst. Mit gleich drei Vertrauensabstimmungen boxte er im Parlament seine Vorschläge für eine strengere Ausländer- und Flüchtlingspolitik durch.

Wer illegal nach Italien einreist oder sich dort aufhält, muss gemäss dem Gesetzesentwurf künftig 5000 bis 10'000 Euro Geldstrafe zahlen. Eine Haftstrafe ist nicht vorgesehen. Allerdings muss mit bis zu drei Jahren Haft rechnen, wer illegal eingewanderten Personen eine Wohnung vermietet. >>> sda/dpa | Mittwoch, 13. Mai 2009

Rights Group Urges Iran to Release Two Christian Converts
WASHINGTON TV: Christian Solidarity Worldwide [CSW] on Tuesday called on Iran to release two Christian women being held in Tehran’s Evin Prison, following the release of Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi.

According to the London-based human rights group, Maryam Rostampour, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh, 30, were arrested by Iranian security forces on 5 March, after their apartment was searched and their Bibles and other personal items were confiscated.

CSW advocacy director, Tina Lambert said that the group “remains deeply concerned for the safety” of the two women, who had converted from Islam. >>> © WashingtonTV | Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Notre Dame Students Plan to Boycott Barack Obama's Speech
POLITICO: ND Response, an anti-abortion student group at Notre Dame University, announced that some seniors will boycott their commencement ceremony on May 17 in protest of the university’s decision to award President Barack Obama an honorary law degree. 



In a statement, the group said that students “instead will hold a meditation in the university’s grotto” to protest Obama’s support for abortion and stem cell research. 



“It’s not a political issue; this is an issue of human dignity, and it’s a Catholic issue,” graduating senior Greer Hannan said in the statement. [Source: Politico] Politico Staff | Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Wilders' Right to Speak
NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIONAL – Editorial (February): The United Kingdom does not want to admit anyone to its territory that would threaten “community harmony and therefore public security.” This argument was used to deny member of parliament Geert Wilders of the populist party PVV entry to the country on Tuesday. Too high a barrier to the free movement of people and the freedom of expression has thus been erected. Besides the fact that the law of both the European Union and the Council of Europe seems to be violated by this, the political concept of a free European space has also been damaged.

Ironically, striving for freedom often entails the prospect of confinement. That has now occurred. The fact that the ban affects a member of parliament makes the decision political, in addition to symbolic. The British are concerned about a well-defined political program that is democratically legitimised in the Netherlands. Voltaire is often credited with pointing out that freedom of expression means defending someone’s right to assert that with which one disagrees. That certainly applies to Wilders, who gives plenty of occasion for disagreement. But his freedom to express such disagreeable sentiments should prevail all the more. As should the duty to defend that freedom. Moreover what is at stake here is political freedom, without which other freedoms are all but unthinkable.

Incidentally Wilders himself falls short as a politician when it comes to defending this freedom. On January 25 he urged in parliamentary questions that religious leaders of “radical mosques” be divested of Dutch nationality and deported. Limiting access to Europe and the Netherlands to all those to whom he objects is a main theme in his platform. The British entry criterion of “harmony in the community” should not sound unfamiliar to him therefore. It is however far removed from the fundamental right to express opinions anywhere in Europe that may “shock, hurt and disturb.” >>> | Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Frank Gaffney on Sharia Law

Memri: Starbucks

Holocaust Denier Faces Jail in Australia for Contempt
THE TELEGRAPH: Frederick Toben, an Australian 'revisionist historian', has been sentenced to three months in jail after publishing offensive material about Jews and the Holocaust on his website.

Toben, 65, had been banned in 2002 from circulating anti-Semitic material on the website of the Adelaide Institute and had promised to abide by the order.

But a civil case brought by Jeremy Jones, former president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, found Toben had breached the order 24 out of an alleged 28 times.

The material he had published claimed that the Holocaust never happened and implied that Jewish people who challenged Holocaust deniers were of "limited intelligence". >>> By Bonnie Malkin in Sydney | Wednesday, May 13, 2009

BBC HARDtalk: Richard Dawkins
Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:

Fighter Jets Pound Taliban Strongholds across Swat
DAWN: MINGORA / TIMERGARA: Fighter jets and attack helicopters pounded Taliban hideouts in the northwest on Wednesday. Meanwhile, a parliamentarian from Swat said 700,000 people were stranded in the valley.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians have fled the punishing offensive, now into its 17th day, escaping also out of the reach of Taliban fighters who have terrorised the local population in a bloody campaign to enforce sharia law.

The air attacks targeted Taliban strongholds across the Swat valley, AFP quoted security officials as saying.

Helicopter gunships also swung into action in the neighbouring district of Lower Dir, where the military has been on the offensive since April 26 after Taliban fighters advanced within 60 miles of Islamabad.

Up to 15,000 security forces are taking on about 4,000 well-armed fighters in Swat in what Islamabad calls a battle to ‘eliminate’ militants.

‘All exit roads from Mingora have been closed. Our troops have surrounded the city to deny any exit to militants,’ said a military official, referring to the main town in Swat. >>> Dawn correspondents Hameedulah Khan and Haleem Asad contributed to this report. | Wednesday, May 13, 2009

DAWN: Can the Taliban Be Defeated?

A Pakistani army soldier stands guard on the roof of a mosque in troubled Buner. Photo courtesy of Dawn
THE moment of truth for the federal government and the Pakistan Army to save Pakistan from imploding under the threat of the Taliban insurgency has arrived.

President Zardari in Washington and Gen Kayani in Rawalpindi, with the blessings of the tripartite Af-Pak strategy meetings presided over by President Obama, prompted Prime Minister Gilani in Islamabad to tell the nation near midnight last week about the decision to call out the armed forces ‘to eliminate the militants and terrorists in order to restore the honour and dignity of our homeland, and to protect the people.’ That reassurance was needed since previous army operations were half-hearted and botched and the operation in Buner and Dir was hardly faring any better, notwithstanding the claims of the ISPR.

The broadcast recalled a similar dramatic moment two months ago when the prime minister in the early hours of the morning announced the reinstatement of the chief justice and the end of the siege of Islamabad by the security forces to prevent the lawyers’ long march. The armed forces — whose refusal to support the government action against the long march is believed to have played a role in reinstating the chief justice — overcame their reservations about a full-fledged military action against the Swat Taliban.

The latter’s proximity to Islamabad had raised the spectre of a Taliban takeover within weeks and led to alarm all over the world, particularly in Washington. The latter seemed more worried about Pakistan’s cache of nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands than the fate of the country’s 170 million people. No one can possibly doubt the pivotal role of the army in our politics.

While the motivation and the circumstances that led to this announcement will be debated for long, the decision to take the Taliban head-on, if successfully executed, could become a historical landmark, along with the reinstatement of the chief justice, and transform Pakistan’s currently bleak future. >>> By S.M. Naseem | Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Pope Calls for Palestinian State
"The Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbours, within internationally recognised borders." – Pope Benedict XVI

BBC: Pope Benedict XVI has offered his support for the Palestinians' right to a homeland, as he continues a Middle East tour in the West Bank.

Speaking on his arrival in Bethlehem, the Pope called for a just and lasting peace in the region.

He urged Palestinians not to resort to violence and terrorism.

He is holding a Mass in the town, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ. He will later give a homily in Manger Square and visit a refugee camp.

One of the aims of the pontiff's visit is to preserve a diminishing Christian presence in the Holy Land. >>> | Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Watch BBC video: Pope calls for a Palestinian state >>>

Christians in Mideast Losing Numbers and Influence
Nuns attended a Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday at the foot of the Mount of Olives outside of Jerusalem. Photo courtesy of The New York Times
THE NEW YORK TIMES: JERUSALEM — Christians used to be a vital force in the Middle East. They dominated Lebanon and filled top jobs in the Palestinian movement. In Egypt, they were wealthy beyond their number. In Iraq, they packed the universities and professions. Across the region, their orientation was a vital link to the West, a counterpoint to prevailing trends.

But as Pope Benedict XVI wends his way across the Holy Land this week, he is addressing a dwindling and threatened Christian population driven to emigration by political violence, lack of economic opportunity and the rise of radical Islam. A region that a century ago was 20 percent Christian is about 5 percent today and dropping.

Since it was here that Jesus walked and Christianity was born, the papal visit highlights a prospect many consider deeply troubling for the globe’s largest faith, adhered to by a third of humanity — its most powerful and historic shrines could become museum relics with no connection to those who live among them.

“I fear the extinction of Christianity in Iraq and the Middle East,” the Rev. Jean Benjamin Sleiman, the Catholic archbishop of Baghdad, said in a comment echoed across the region.

The pope, in a Mass on Tuesday at the foot of the Mount of Olives, addressed “the tragic reality” of the “departure of so many members of the Christian community in recent years.”

He said: “While understandable reasons lead many, especially the young, to emigrate, this decision brings in its wake a great cultural and spiritual impoverishment to the city. Today I wish to repeat what I have said on other occasions: in the Holy Land there is room for everyone!” >>> By Ethan Bronner | Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Will Benjamin Netanyahu Fall Out with Barack Obama?
THE TELEGRAPH: On Monday, Benjamin Netanyahu will have his first formal meeting with Barack Obama in the White House. All the signs are that relations between Israel and its superpower ally are not as harmonious as usual, says David Blair.

Before going into politics, Benjamin Netanyahu made his name as a skilled ambassador to the United Nations. But he will need every ounce of diplomatic finesse to deal with the conundrum he faces as Israel's new prime minister.

On Monday, Mr Netanyahu will have his first formal meeting with Barack Obama in the White House. All the signs are that relations between Israel and its superpower ally are not as harmonious as usual.

In the next few weeks, America is expected to publish the outlines of a new Middle East peace plan. The goal will be the creation of a Palestinian state based on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Mr Netanyahu, however, has not accepted the principle of Palestinian statehood, and his coalition is filled with Right-wing politicians who are bitterly opposed to the idea. A public rift between Israel and America over the endgame of a Middle East settlement is a real possibility.

On its own, American support for a Palestinian state is nothing new. George W Bush was the first US president to make this pledge explicitly when he produced his "road map" to peace in 2003. But two factors make the present situation different and more dangerous for Israel's government.

Mr Bush waited until his third year in office before coming up with the map – and he only did so because he needed diplomatic cover after his invasion of Iraq. Mr Obama, in contrast, seems set to publish his vision for a settlement in the first six months of his presidency, at the apex of his prestige, and without any diplomatic distractions to compare with the Iraq invasion.

Moreover, Israel assumed during the Bush presidency that it could get away with ignoring the map without incurring any serious penalties. So it proved: the path that supposedly led to a Palestinian state turned out to lead nowhere. >>> By David Blair | Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Anti-gay Minister the Rev Ian Watson in ‘Nazi Battle’ Outrage
TIMESONLINE: The Church of Scotland is moving towards a schism after one of its ministers compared an increasingly determined campaign against gay clergymen to the war against the Nazis.

The Rev Ian Watson railed against homosexual lifestyles, declaring that such people would not “inherit the kingdom of God” in a sermon that religious leaders and politicians condemned as deeply disturbing.

Mr Watson is a prominent opponent of Scott Rennie, an openly gay minister whose appointment to a parish church last year has caused divisions. Mr Rennie, a divorced father of one, lives with his partner, David, and has the support of his Aberdeen Presbytery. The Church of Scotland is due to debate his appointment at its General Assembly next week after a petition was signed by almost a third of ministers pushing for all gays to be banned from the pulpit.

A motion has been lodged urging the Church not to “train, ordain, admit, readmit, induct or introduce to any ministry of the church anyone involved in a sexual relationship outside of marriage between a man and woman”. >>> Mike Wade | Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Hitler Youth Past Is Denied by Pope on Trip Hit by Row over Holocaust
TIMESONLINE: The wartime past of Pope Benedict XVI threatened to overwhelm his peace mission to the Holy Land as the Vatican issued a denial that the pontiff had served in the Hitler Youth.

“The Pope has said he never, never was a member of the Hitler Youth, which was a movement of fanatical volunteers,” Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, said — contradicting statements the Pope has himself made about his involvement with the group. The Vatican denial came as Benedict’s trip sank deeper in controversy and recrimination, eclipsing the message of peace and reconciliation he has been pushing during his pilgrimage

Mr Lombardi said the Pope, as Joseph Ratzinger, a 16-year-old seminarian, served in an auxiliary air defence squadron “that had nothing to do with Nazism or Nazi ideology”. Venting frustration with the relentless focus on the Pope’s war years — a highly sensitive subject on a visit to the Jewish state — Mr Lombardi insisted that the Pope “never was in this movement of young people ideologically linked to Nazism”. The spokesman said that he felt compelled to respond “to the lies written by the media here and internationally”.

However, in a series of interviews in the 1996 book Salt of the Earth, the Pope, then still a cardinal, said that he had been drafted into the Hitler Youth, like so many other young Germans.

“When the compulsory Hitler Youth was introduced in 1941, my brother was obliged to join. I was still too young but later, as a seminarian, I was registered in the HY. As soon as I was out of the seminary, I never went back,” he said at the time. >>> James Hider in Jerusalem | Wednesday, May 13, 2009

US Elected to UN Rights Council as Obama Reverses Bush Policy
THE TELEGRAPH: The United States has joined the United Nations Human Rights Council for the first time, after Barack Obama's administration reversed another Bush-era policy.

Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, said although Washington still believed the body to be flawed, it was "looking forward to working from within with a broad cross-section of member states to strengthen and reform" the council.

The US was one of 18 countries elected to three-year terms on the 47-seat Geneva-based council in a vote by the UN General Assembly, joining 29 others already on the body. A number of nations represented on the council - including China, Cuba and Saudi Arabia - have faced criticism for their own human rights records. >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington | Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Tollé en Italie après une expulsion de clandestins
LEFIGARO: Les propos de Silvio Berlusconi, qui a rejeté l'idée d'une Italie «multiethnique» pour justifier des reconduites en Lybie, suscitent la polémique.

Fram est désespéré. Cet adolescent gambien de 17 ans a dépensé toutes les économies que sa tante lui avait données pour gagner l'Angleterre. Vendredi, avec 226 autres clandestins, il a été ramené en Libye par des ­garde-côtes italiens. Leur embarcation avait été arraisonnée en haute mer, sur indication des autorités maritimes libyennes. C'était la première fois que Tripoli acceptait de reprendre des immigrés partis de son territoire. En deux jours, plus d'un demi-millier de clandestins interceptés en mer ont été refoulés vers ce pays.

Ces opérations ont suscité une vive polémique. Le ministre italien de l'Intérieur Roberto Maroni (Ligue du Nord) parle de «décision historique». Pour la première fois, Tripoli applique l'accord bilatéral sur la régulation des flux d'immigration. De Charm el-Cheikh où il se trouvait mardi, Silvio Berlusconi a affirmé que ces arrivages massifs de clandestins par voie maritime en Italie «ne sont pas le fruit du hasard, mais le résultat d'une stratégie délibérée de bandes criminelles planifiant ces transferts de manière scientifique». Il refuse que l'Italie, avec 7 % de population immigrée, ne devienne «multiethnique».

Les critiques pleuvent. Le HCR (Haut-Commissariat des Nations unies pour les réfugiés), le Conseil de l'Europe, le Vatican et jusqu'au grand rabbin dénoncent le geste «unilatéral» de l'Italie. Ils estiment qu'avant de les refouler, il aurait fallu vérifier que ces réfugiés ne bénéficiaient pas du droit d'asile. Le président de la Chambre des députés Gianfranco Fini, pourtant membre de la majorité au pouvoir, est du même avis. >>> Richard Heuzé, à Rome | Mardi 12 Mai 2009

Pakistan: Der beispiellose Exodus aus dem Tal der Taliban
WELT ONLINE: Die Offensive der Armee gegen die Gotteskrieger der Taliban im Swat-Tal drohen das Land in den Abgrund zu stürzen. Der Krieg fordert schwere Opfer unter der Zivilbevölkerung, die noch im Februar hoffte, Leid, Terror und Blutvergießen hätten endlich ein Ende. 360.000 Menschen sind auf der Flucht.

Bild dank der Welt
Pakistans Premierminister Gilani spricht von „einer Schlacht um das Überleben des Landes“. In dem einst so idyllischen Swat-Tal kämpft die Armee gegen ein Heer von Talibankämpfern, eine Horde Gotteskrieger, die die gesamte Region überschwemmt hat.

Ihnen hat die Regierung in Islamabad unter dem starken Druck der USA den Krieg erklärt. – ein Krieg ohne Rücksicht auf Verluste.

Sein Ergebnis ist eine humanitäre Katastrophe. Denn die Opfer sind die Zivilisten. Die Bürger von Swat, die im Februar noch hofften, Leid, Terror und Blutvergießen hätten vielleicht endlich ein Ende.

Doch diese Hoffnung auf eine Rückkehr zum Alltag hat sich zerschlagen. Heute ist die Lage in Swat schlimmer als je zuvor. >>> Von Sophie Mühlmann | Dienstag, 12. Mai 2009

NZZ Online: Massenexodus aus Kampfgebiet in Pakistan: Präsident Zardari fordert internationale Hilfe für Flüchtlinge

Pakistans Präsident Zardari hat die Weltgemeinschaft um Hilfe für Hunderttausende Zivilisten gebeten, die vor den Kämpfen im Nordwesten des Landes flüchten. Nach Angaben des Uno-Flüchtlingshilfswerks (UNHCR) sind gegenwärtig mehr als eine halbe Million Personen auf der Flucht.

In den umkämpften Gebieten im Nordwesten des Landes ereigne sich derzeit eine «humanitäre Katastrophe», sagte Zardari am Dienstag nach Gesprächen mit Uno-Generalsekretär Ban Ki Moon in New York. Die Menschen verlören ihre Ernten, ihr Einkommen, ihre Existenzgrundlage und ihr Zuhause. Deshalb forderten Ban und er die Welt zur Nothilfe auf. >>> sda/afp/ap | Mittwoch, 13. Mai 2009

Sarkozy Talks Turkey

EU Puts Turkey on Notice (April 2008)

Türkische Neo-Nazis in Deutschland

Peer Turns Fire on BBC Presenter
BBC: A Labour peer turned on a BBC presenter demanding to know how much she was paid during a live interview on MP expenses.

Lord Foulkes clashed with Carrie Gracie on the BBC News Channel after she asked if MPs who had abused their expenses should pay the money back.

He accused the media of ignoring the good work MPs did and demanded to know how much she was paid.

Told it was £92,000 a year, he said she was being paid "nearly twice as much an MP - to come on and talk nonsense".

He added that BBC presenters such as John Humphrys and Jeremy Paxman were paid hundreds of thousands of pounds "to come on TV and sneer at democracy and undermine democracy. The vast majority of MPs are being undermined by you." >>> | Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Greece Puts Brakes on Street View
BBC: Greece's data protection agency has banned Google from expanding its Street View service in the country, pending "additional information" from the firm.

Street View gives users a 360-degree view of a road via Google Maps.

Authorities want to know how long the images would be kept on Google's database and what measures it will take to make people aware of privacy rights.

A similar street mapping service, run by local ISP Kapou, was also suspended for the same reason.

In a statement, Google said that it had not seen the full details of the The Hellenic Data Protection Authority's request, but had taken steps to protect people's privacy. >>> | Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Freed Saberi Thanks Supporters
As Miss North Dakota, Roxana Saberi wanted to promote cultural awareness. Photo courtesy of the BBC
BBC: Roxana Saberi, the US-Iranian journalist released from jail in Iran on Monday, has thanked all those who helped to win her freedom.

She was freed after four months in prison when an eight-year term on charges of spying for the US was cut. She denied the charges.

Wearing a bright blue headscarf, Ms Saberi looked thin but in high spirits.

"I'm very happy to be free and to be with my parents again," Ms Saberi told reporters outside her flat in Tehran.

"I'm thanking all those people all over the world - which I'm just finding out about - who - whether they knew me or not - helped me and my family during this period," she said, smiling.

"I don't have any specific plans for the moment, I just want to be with my parents and friends, and to relax.

"Thank you very much - all of you," Roxana Saberi said, in her first public comments since her release. >>> | Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Watch BBC video: Roxana Saberi: 'I am of course happy to be free and with my parents again' >>>

Crap Talk on the Gay Issue

The Battle Against the Islamization of Europe

Pope 'Committed' to Reconciliation with Jews
THE TELEGRAPH: Pope Benedict XVI has said that the Catholic church was 'irrevocably committed' to reconciliation with Jews, tacitly admitting a gap continues to exist between the two sides.

Pope Benedict XVI places his note to God in the Western Wall at Judaism's holiest site in Jerusalem's Old City, Israel. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
On the second day of his visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, the Pope toured holy sites around Jerusalem and had separate meetings with Muslim and Jewish leaders.

After meeting Israel's two chief rabbis, Shlomo Amar and Yona Metzger, the Pope addressed the issue of tension between Christianity and Judaism dating back thousands of years.

"Today I have the opportunity to repeat that the Catholic Church is irrevocably committed to the path chosen at the Second Vatican Council for a genuine and lasting reconciliation between Christians and Jews,'' the Pope said.

"As the declaration [from the Second Vatican Council] makes clear, the Church continues to value the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews and desires an ever deeper mutual understanding and respect through biblical and ideological studies as well as fraternal dialogues.'' >>> By Tim Butcher in Jerusalem | Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Holy War – Jihad – جهاد
Part 1:


Part 2:

Our Religion Is Our Security in Pakistan: Swat Sikhs
THE INTERNATIONAL NEWS: GURDWARA SRI PANJA SAHIB (Hasanabdal): Jaswant Kaur is a middle aged mother of four, full of life and smiles as she makes tea for us and reminisces about life in village Pir Baba in Buner. But while she is glad that she took her children away from the hell like situation back home, she can’t stop fretting about her husband who stayed behind. The three days that she has been at Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib, Hasanabdal, already seem like an agonising lifetime. It’s never easy being a refugee within one’s own land.

But like many others around her, Jaswant is a brave woman. She is already a commanding presence in the sprawling kitchen of the massive Gurdwara which otherwise has the capacity to house up to ten thousand people. It’s amazing how the majority of the women here can still smile, even those like Jaswant who have had to leave their spouses behind, for one reason or another. Maybe they are smiling because unlike the Muslim displaced people of Swat, who are forced to languish on the roads of Rawalpindi and elsewhere and eking out a living in miserable circumstances, the Sikh community has suffered a much better fate, at least till now. None of us can even imagine the trauma of someone waking up happy and all settled in their home one morning, and becoming a helpless refugee the next. >>> Mariana Baabar | Monday, May 4, 2009

Stoning in Iran

Obama Ousts Top U.S. General in Afghanistan
GLOBEANDMAIL: WASHINGTON — America's top general in Afghanistan was ousted Monday, a casualty of President Barack Obama's massive expansion of the war that will surge tens of thousands of troops into Taliban-infested areas in southern Afghanistan, where Canadians have been fighting and dying for years.

The forced ouster of Lieutenant-General David McKiernan and his replacement by Lieutenant-General Stanley McChrystal, a commander with a controversial background in clandestine warfare and special operations, spearheads a new counter-insurgency strategy.

Fighting the raging Taliban insurgency that threatens Afghanistan “requires new thinking and new approaches by our military leaders,” U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday[.]

The move comes as Washington takes even greater control of the flagging NATO effort to shore up a shaky government in Kabul, stem the flow of insurgents and weapons streaming back and forth across the border with Pakistan and avert a Taliban renaissance. >>> Paul Koring | Monday, May 11, 2009

Toxischer Texaner
TAGESANZEIGER: Eine neue Gallup-Erhebung mit 120'000 Befragten zeigt: Junge US-Amerikaner sind weniger für die Demokraten als vielmehr gegen die Republikaner. Das hat seinen Grund.

Wird seine Partei über Jahrzehnte hinweg belasten: George W. Bush. Bild dank dem Tages Anzeiger
Die verheerende Präsidentschaft des George Walker Bush, besser bekannt als W., könnte das politische Schicksal der Republikanischen Partei über Jahrzehnte hinweg schwer belasten. Dass die Partei Ronald Reagans und der beiden Bushs bei den Kongresswahlen 2006 sowie den Präsidentschaftswahlen 2008 unter die Räder kam, ist eine Sache. Und dass sie sich nach den acht Bush-Jahren jetzt wirr und ziellos präsentiert, ist auch eine Sache. Eine andere dagegen ist, dass dank des toxischen Texaners eine ganze Generation junger Amerikaner mit den Republikanern nicht viel zu tun haben möchte. >>> Von Martin Kilian, Washington | Dienstag, 12. Mai 2009

«Wollen Verhandlungen mit Palästinensern aufnehmen»: Treffen von Israel und Ägypten in Sharm ash-Sheikh
NZZ Online: Israels Regierungschef Benjamin Netanyahu hat bei seinem ersten Auslandbesuch seinen Willen bekräftigt, die Friedensverhandlungen mit den Palästinensern bald wieder aufzunehmen. Netanyahu traf in Sharm as-Sheikh mit Ägyptens Präsidenten Hosni Mubarak zusammen.

Erster Auslandbesuch von Benjamin Netanyahu: Treffen mit Ägyptens Staatschef Hosni Mubarak in Sharm ash-Sheikh. Bild dank der Neuen Zürcher Zeitung
«Wir wollen so bald wie möglich die Verhandlungen mit den Palästinensern wieder aufnehmen», sagte Netanyahu am Montag auf einer kurzen Pressekonferenz mit Mubarak in dem ägyptischen Badeort Sharm ash-Sheikh.

Er hoffe, dass dies «in den kommenden Wochen» möglich sei. Der Besuch in Ägypten ist Netanyahus erster Auslandsbesuch seit seinem Amtsantritt Ende März.

«Wir wollen zunächst den Frieden mit unseren palästinensischen Nachbarn ausweiten», sagte Netanyahu. Israel und die Palästinenser sollten eine «Perspektive des Friedens, der Sicherheit und des Wohlstands» haben. «Diese drei Dinge gehen zusammen und nicht eines auf Kosten des anderen.» >>> sda/afp/dpa | Montag, 11. Mai 2009

Kurzbesuch in Deutschland: Sarkozy beim "Schnitzel-Gipfel" – "Das war schön!"
WELT ONLINE: Er kam, sah und siegte. Bei seinem Kurzbesuch in Berlin umschmeichelte Frankreichs Staatspräsident Sarkozy die Junge Union, ging mit Kanzlerin Merkel Schnitzel essen und gewann die Herzen der Berliner. Nur wüsste man gern, was er wohl auf dem Rückflug über seine Gastgeber gesagt hat.

Auch Kanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU) begrüßt Sarkozy herzlich. Bild dank der Welt
Er kann durchaus charmant sein. Wenn er will. Er will bloß nicht immer. Am Sonntag jedoch zeigte sich Frankreichs Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy beim deutsch-französischen Freundschafts-Treffen der Jungen Union im Berliner Sony-Center von seiner allerbesten Seite: Strahlte, lächelte, schüttelte, Hände und freute sich über die T-Shirts der Fähnchen schwenkenden Jugend, auf denen er mit seiner Freundin „Ongdschela“ Merkel abgebildet war.

„Frankreich liebt Sie, Frankreich bewundert Sie, Frankreich ist Ihr Freund“, rief der Präsident den nachwachsenden Christdemokraten zu. Soviel ungezügelte Zuneigung erfahren Junge-Unions-Mitglieder sonst eher selten in der Öffentlichkeit. Der ein oder andere wähnte sich vermutlich in einer therapeutischen Sitzung, als Sarkozy auch noch hinzufügte „Frankreich fürchtet Sie nicht.“

Nicolas Sarkozy weiß natürlich, dass gerade Europa-Wahlkampf ist, und deshalb ist er aktuell besonders nett. Da pflegt er selbst die deutsch-französische Freundschaft, die ihm ansonsten nicht besonders nah am Herzen liegt. Da lässt er sich sogar von Kanzlerin Angela Merkel zu einem deutschen Schnitzel mit Spargel überreden. >>> Von Sascha Lehnartz | Montag, 11. Mai 2009